


We Could Be Heroes

by poppycurls



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Roommates/Housemates, Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bisexual Annabeth, Bisexual Female Character, Domestic Fluff, F/F, Fluff, Girls Kissing, Hurt/Comfort, Injury, Light Angst, Love, No Smut, Past Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson, Referenced Annabeth Chase/Calypso, Referenced Piper McLean/Hazel Levesque, Romance, Superhero Annabeth, Superhero Piper, Superheroes, Swearing, WLWPJOExchange 2017, WLWPJOexchange
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-01
Updated: 2018-01-01
Packaged: 2019-02-26 10:39:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,725
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13233951
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/poppycurls/pseuds/poppycurls
Summary: In the same week they meet each other, Annabeth and Piper get recruited to New York City's finest all-female superhero team. They fall a little more in love every day, while working hard to keep their superhero lives secret from one another. They move in together, and continue to manage life's ups and downs with their best friends, but soon find out that maintaining a relationship is harder than they thought.Maybe things would be easier if they realized that they were partners while fighting crime, as well.





	We Could Be Heroes

**Author's Note:**

> Written for @wlwpjoexchange on tumblr, for the lovely @randomawesomeintrests. 
> 
> @randomawesomeinterests, I hope you had an incredible holiday season, and happy new year! Here's to 2018! It was a real privilege writing for you.  
> \- Love, Nina (@paulblofish)

June, Year 1

Annabeth’s life gets turned around by a bakery advertisement. It appears in her mailbox one sunny morning, with colorful photos of Red Velvet cupcakes printed on both sides. Attached was a coupon for fifty percent off all cupcakes this week, and, God, Red Velvet cupcakes were Annabeth’s weakness. It was a Saturday, she didn’t have work, and the sun was shining – a run to the bakery would do her good.

In retrospect, Annabeth probably should have found the whole thing very suspicious. She’d never heard of the bakery before, and she usually wasn’t the kind of person to skip breakfast and go straight for dessert, but these cupcakes were calling her. She felt like she needed to be there. The moment she grabbed the flyer, all her earlier plans of staying in bed and watching cartoon reruns were thrown out the window.

So she goes. Annabeth walks for two miles, flyer clutched in a sweaty hand. When she finally gets there, she definitely regrets her decision. The bakery was nothing more than a tiny shack, with only room for one or two people to stand. But, she’s determined and hungry, so she heads in anyway and hands the coupon over to a bored looking cashier.

“In the back,” the cashier says, not looking up.

“What?” Annabeth’s tries to get a look at his face, but it’s hidden under a baseball cap. He still doesn’t look up.

“Cupcakes are in the back. Pick whichever ones you want.”

“Back there?” Annabeth turns her face towards the back of the shop, behind the counter.

“Yeah.”

Now that was definitely a red flag, but that flyer must have done something to her, because Annabeth hops over the counter anyway and starts to search. She turns a corner (for such a small shop, they had a very large kitchen, Annabeth thinks) and finds a tray of delicious looking cupcakes at the wall furthest from her. She takes a step towards them, and all of the sudden, the floor is gone. She falls into the shop’s basement, crashing in a pile on the ground below. The drop was only a few feet, but she still managed to bruise her elbow.

Annabeth springs up, fists clenched and really to fight if need be. She looks up – the ceiling has no holes in it. The kitchen floor has sealed itself back up.

“Oh, very nice. Liking the reflexes,” someone says behind her. Annabeth whirls around and finds herself in what looks like a hotel lobby, if the lobby was part of a secret military base. The ceiling gradually gets higher, with sets of long florescent lights crossing it. There are metal doors along gray walls, and at the end of the room there’s a desk with a tall black chairs and three computers. Definitely suspicious. Even worse, there was someone sitting at it. As Annabeth watches, she gets up and crosses over to Annabeth, arm extended.

“Get away from me – don’t touch me!” Annabeth backs away, and the woman puts her hand into her jumpsuit’s pocket. Oh, God, she’s wearing a jumpsuit, Annabeth thinks. And not stylist one either. It’s made of stretchy black exercise material, complete with zippers down the front and on her arms and legs. The woman is wearing gloves and black combat boots, and she has an empty holster on each hip. Annabeth is sure she’s going to die, right here in the basement of some Godforsaken bakery that didn’t even give her the cupcakes she asked for.

“Alright, your call.”

“Let me leave. Please.” Annabeth is slightly proud at how little her voice shakes.

“Okay, you can leave at any time you want to. Stairs to the street are over there.” The woman nods to a entryway on her right.

“Oh – okay.” Unsure of what to do, Annabeth starts backing up towards the stairs. Was this some kind of trap? The woman makes no move to stop her, though, instead watching her through deep brown eyes.

“Of course,” she begins, just when Annabeth reaches the first step, “you could leave even if there wasn’t an exit, couldn’t you?”

Something twists in Annabeth’s gut. For as long as she can remember, Annabeth has had the ability to teleport. It wasn’t something she was proud of – it scared her to no end. Her dad used to get phone calls from people saying they found Annabeth on the roof of their home or office – she used to pop of there when she was little to view the city skyline better. She loved architecture, and back then, it only made sense for her to get as close the buildings as physically possible. Her family often spent hours agonizingly searching for her because she went where she wanted to go when she was little, even If that place was at the observation deck of the Empire State Building in the middle of dinner. Now, as an adult, it was much easier to hide and control.

When Annabeth doesn’t say anything, the woman offers a smile, something that looks wrong on her sharp angled face. She looks like she hasn’t smiled in years. “Come on, Annabeth, sit down. Let’s talk.”

“How do you know my name?”

“Same reason I know what you can do. Same reason why I brought you here.” Wow, cryptic. Under her fear, Annabeth’s patience was starting to wear thin.

“Who are you?”

“My name is Reyna. Please, come sit down.”

Annabeth does so, albeit hesitantly. If worse comes to worse, Annabeth could always just teleport herself out of there. Reyna sits across from her and offers another unnatural smile.

She reaches under her desk, and pulls out a box. She opens it and takes out a helmet, passing it to Annabeth. “Do you know what this is?”

Annabeth traces her fingers over the grooves in awe. Of course she knows what this is. Everyone does. It’s light green and silver, and the front stretches over the eyes so that nobody can recognize the wearer. It’s thin, unlike a bicycle helmet, and there are wires that run along the inside. “It’s … a superhero helmet,” Annabeth says quietly. She wasn’t sure what to call it. Newspapers called the group of superheroes that guarded New York City all sorts of things, because they had no official name. They never worked together and never spoke to reporters, just kept silent watch over the city’s inhabitants. They were strong, powerful, and every young kids’ personal heroes. Their only defining feature was the bi-colored outfits they wore, which wear nearly identical.

Reyna nods. “It’s yours, if you want it.”

“I – what?” Annabeth sets the helmet down on the desk. “You want me to be one of them? One of the superhero guys?”

“Actually, they’re all girls.”

“Oh, okay.” Annabeth presses on. “But still, are you kidding me?”

“Not at all. You have quite a talent, Annabeth. You’d be very useful to us.”

“But I … I have a job, have a life. I can’t do this!”

“So do all the rest of our girls. They all manage to balance everything.”

A voice in the back of Annabeth’s mind shouts ‘stop, are you crazy?’, but Annabeth would be lying if she said she hadn’t dreamed of this exact scenario before. “I’m not a superhero or anything, though. I can do one thing.”

“Everyone else only has one superpower as well.” Wow, superpower. The word sends chills down Annabeth’s spine. “We will train you to be more physically fit.”

Something about the way Reyna phrases that nags at Annabeth. “Do I have a choice? Can I refuse this?”

This time, Reyna’s smile seems genuine. “No, you can’t.”

“I could leave right now.”

“It would be useless. We’ve been tracking you for years. Besides, isn’t this something you’ve always wanted? To have your power appreciated and to save people? We always manage to pick up girls with a bit of a hero complex here.”

Annabeth’s cheeks flare. “I don’t-“ she’s interrupted by footsteps coming from a hallway off the room.

“Quick,” Reyna says, passing her the matching suit that that she pulls out of who knows where. “Try this on. You shouldn’t be seen by anyone else - this protects your identity. It should fit to your exact body type.”

Despite it all, Annabeth does really want to try it on, so she takes it and stands up, trying to figure out what to do next. “Over my clothes?”

“Yes, over your clothes! Now hurry!” Reyna hisses.

Annabeth steps into the suit and zips up the front. Instantly, it fits her tightly and all the shabby seams that were there earlier mold to create a sturdy but lightweight jumpsuit. Annabeth feels stronger and more powerful in it already. “Woah,” she says, flipping up her ponytail and grabbing the helmet.

The moment she puts it on, it feels right. She’s hyper aware of everything around her, and save for her jaw, the only thing that isn’t protected by supersuit, everything feels protected and safe. Annabeth flexes her fingers experimentally.

Two more people enter the room. One looks like Reyna. She has the same tight lips and high cheekbones that make her intimidating. It’s the same glossy brown hair that Reyna has. She wears the same outfit, only her hair is pulled into a tight high ponytail rather than let loose around her shoulders. The other is dressed like Annabeth, only in sky blue and white.

Reyna nods to Annabeth. “This is my sister, Hylla, and one of our girls, Viz. We all use codenames here to protect identities, save for Hylla and me.”

Viz walks over to shake Annabeth’s hand. She smiles, the only thing Annabeth can actually see. Her eyes are totally hidden by the dark visor. It makes Annabeth a little uneasy.

“It’s nice to meet you.”

“Likewise,” Annabeth says. She’s alarmed to find that her voice sounds completely different. “Woah.”

“Like I said, we take protecting your identity very seriously. Whenever you wear the helmet, your voice will be altered,” Reyna explains.

“Wild, isn’t it?” Viz laughs. “It takes some getting used to, but it’s kinda fun. So, new recruit, huh? What can you do?”

“I can teleport.”

“Really? That’s so wild! Anywhere?”

“Pretty much, yeah. I haven’t tried extreme distances or anywhere though.”

“Can you show me?” Despite the voice changer, Viz sounds genuinely excited. Annabeth decides she likes her.

“Sure.” Annabeth closes her eyes, picturing a spot across the room. She half turns her shoulder, taking a deep breath as she feels the space around her getting smaller and smaller. In an instant, she’s there, standing behind Viz.

Viz claps, Reyna lets out a low whistle, and even Hylla looks mildly impressed. Annabeth considers this an accomplishment, since she gets the feeling that Hylla is even harder to faze than her sister.

“What can you do?”

Viz grins again. Like Annabeth, she turns and disappears.

“Can she teleport too?” Annabeth asks out loud.

“I’m still here.” Viz’s disembodied voice says somewhere to her right. A pen flies off of Reyna’s desk, as if someone threw it.

Oh. Viz’s codename suddenly made a lot more sense. “Let me guess, invisibility?”

Viz appears again with a pop. “Yep. As you probably guessed, I’m not that creative when it comes to names.”

“Do I get a codename too?”

“In time,” Reyna replies. She hands Annabeth a folder. “Here’s everything you need to know. I expect to see you back soon.”

“And if I don’t want to come back?”

“You will.” This is the first time Annabeth has heard Hylla speak. She turns to Viz. “You did well today. Don’t forget to debrief with one of us soon. You can leave now. Both of you.” Hylla turns around, hair flying. She leaves without further comment.

“That’s it?” Annabeth asks.

“That’s it.” Reyna once again nods toward the staircase. “Make sure nobody sees you change.” She follows her sister.

Annabeth and Viz make their way towards the exit. Viz puts a hand on Annabeth’s shoulder just before they reach the doorway, stopping her. “Listen,” Viz says. “I know this is … a lot.”

“You think?”

“But it’s worth it. It’s so so so worth it. I mean, you’re a hero. The whole world knows you. You get to save people that would have been dead if it wasn’t for you. You’ll read about it in the documents, it’s mandatory by law for us but it’s –"

“Wait, what? By law?”

“Oh, yeah, Reyna and Hylla are technically government officials. You know, we have these powers and we should use them for good and all, so it doesn’t bug me that much, but it can be a lot to deal with. If you ever need anything, just let me know, okay? I’ll be seeing you at training soon. You and this other new recruit.”

“There’s somebody else?”

“Yeah, not sure who though or what her powers are. You know, it’s kinda nice having an all girl group. I wonder if it’s a genetic thing, that only girls get superpowers? But then again, it can’t be, because Brawnnie isn’t-“

“Viz,” Annabeth interrupts.

“Sorry, I ramble sometimes. You should ask the people at the studio I work with-“ This time, Viz cuts herself off. Her eyes go wide. “Holy shit, I shouldn’t have said that. Forget you heard it.”

“It’s fine,” Annabeth says. She’s being honest. There are tons of art studios all over New York – there was no way to track Viz down. “Why can’t we tell each other our identities anyway? I mean, I don’t care.”

“Just don’t,” Viz says, shaking her head. “It’s not worth it. There are pretty strict rules for us.”

“Oh.” It hits Annabeth again that this is now her life. Viz senses the change in tone.

“I should get going, anyway. Gotta keep moving.”

Annabeth nods. “See you.”

With a pop, Viz disappears. Annabeth watches as the door opens and closes as she leaves.

Annabeth takes off her helmet, her hair springing back to its place. She unzips the suit. It’s still cool, despite how unsure Annabeth is about the whole thing. Even though it’s summer, Annabeth felt more that comfortable with the suit on. It’s hotter now in just her shorts and t-shirt. She folds the suit up and sticks it in her pocket, then turns to the helmet with a frown.

On accident, Annabeth’s thumb hits a button on the inside. Instantly, the helmet collapses on itself and becomes even smaller than the suit. She grins and puts it in her pocket as well.

She heads home, mulling over her eventful morning in her head. She buys herself a coffee at a more trustworthy bakery, and cuts through a park.

  
Annabeth looks at the buildings across the street as she walks, not paying attention to where she’s going. Naturally, she smacks into someone who was on their phone, and Annabeth jumps back as coffee spills down the front of her shirt and the poor girl’s papers go flying. She scrambles to pick them up as Annabeth scrubs at her shirt with her sleeve, only to make her sleeve soaking wet as well.

The girl stands, and Annabeth finally looks up from her ruined shirt to apologize. She’s shocked to see that the other girl is smiling, now that she’s picked up all her papers and shoved them back into her folder. And, wow, what a beautiful smile she has.

  
“Sorry about that,” the girl says, voice as rich as the greenery behind her. “I’m Piper, by the way.”

  
Annabeth’s heart jumps to her throat. “Annabeth,” she chokes out.

  
“Maybe I can buy you a new coffee to make up for that one? And a new shirt, looks like you might need one.”

Annabeth hopes that Piper can’t tell how much she’s blushing. “I’d like that a lot, actually.” Suddenly, this day doesn’t seem nearly as shitty.

-

  
See, Piper’s not usually this forward when it comes to flirting with cute girls. She’s the type of person to wait for the other to make the first move, but today Piper was feeling brave. After all, she had a rough day yesterday, and had spent the night at her friend Leo’s apartment while he talked her through everything. Then, in order to cheer themselves up, they made shitty mimosas for breakfast and now Piper was just a bit tipsy and just a bit more forward.

  
Plus, Leo had told her last night that the engineering company he worked for needed him overtime tonight, even though Piper had bought the two of them tickets to her older sister’s concert at seven, so now Piper had an extra ticket and needed a date. If all went well, maybe Annabeth would agree to come with her.

  
Piper nods at Annabeth’s shirt. “Wanna wear my jacket as we walk? To cover it up?” Now, this was really pushing it, and Piper was sure Annabeth would back out of the whole thing. To her surprise, though, she doesn’t.

  
“That would be great, thanks.”

  
So Piper shrugs off her windbreaker and hands it over to Annabeth. She puts the folder she was carrying back in her back, and Annabeth does the same to whatever she was carrying. It’s fine. Piper really didn’t want to go back and talk to Reyna, anyway, but Leo had insisted. At least now she had an excuse not to.

  
They set off, looping toward the nearest Starbucks. It wasn’t the most ideal first date location, but it would have to do. “So, Annabeth,” Piper teases. “Tell me a bit about yourself.”

  
“My name is Annabeth Chase, and I think you’re really pretty.” Annabeth glances at her shyly. Wow. Gorgeous and flirty. This was Piper’s lucky day.

  
“Same here.”

  
“Oh, your name is also Annabeth Chase?” Piper laughs and shoves Annabeth, happy when Annabeth starts giggling too.

  
“Fuck off, Chase. Or you’re not getting coffee.”

  
Annabeth pretends to pout, and Piper’s heart melts.

  
“Alright, hello, my name is Piper McLean. I’m twenty-five years old and I’m a curator in French history museum.”

  
Annabeth laughs again. “You’re French?”

  
“Not at all. I just speak it.”

  
“Ooo, say something!”

  
Piper does.

  
“Wow, that’s beautiful. What does it mean?”

  
“It means, ‘Hello, welcome to the Museum of French-American History. Here’s a map.’”

  
Annabeth grins. “Amazing.”

  
“Yeah, I wish. I actually hate working there. I’m trying to move to the Museum of Native American History downtown. It’s bigger and less prissy.”

  
“If I come visit you, can I get free admission?”

  
“Of course! I’ll sneak you in. Granted, I can get you into the French museum too, but you don’t want to go there, trust me.”

  
“I’ll take your word for it. Anything else I need to know about you?”

  
“I live alone, but like, nine times out of ten I crash at my friend Leo’s place or he crashes at mine. We’re pretty close.” Piper pauses and considers her next words carefully. “I’m pretty boring, actually. I have two older half-sisters who are basically living the dream. One’s a fashion consultant for Saks and the other is an opera singer. My dad’s an actor. Then there’s just plain old me.” This wasn’t true, of course. Nobody else in her family had a superpower. Nobody else in her family had been approached by the United States government in a request to fight crime using it.

  
“Wow, an actor, huh? That’s crazy. Would I know any of his movies?”

  
“Not the ones he’s starred in, unless you’re a huge movie buff. He’s played minor roles in a few box office hits, though.”

  
“That’s insane. I’m talking to a celebrity!”

  
“Sure.” Piper smiles. “So, now that I’ve spilled my whole life story to you, what’s up with you, Annabeth?” Annabeth, wow. What a pretty name. Piper could say it forever.

  
“Pretty basic as well. I’m twenty six, and have an apartment way up North. I’m an architect. Nobody in my family is famous whatsoever. I have two younger half-brothers –“

  
“Hey, we balance each other out!”

  
“- And they live in Virginia with my stepmom and dad. My real mom’s kinda out of the picture.”

  
“Same here.”

  
A small, comfortable silence ensues, and then Piper starts talking again.

  
“So, do I know any buildings of yours?”

  
Annabeth laughs. “It’s not nearly that glamorous. I work in a large company, rather than by myself. One day, though, I might be well-known.”

  
“I’m sure whatever you’ll create, it’ll be beautiful. What do you do when you’re not designing buildings?”

  
“I hang out with my friends a lot. Visit family occasionally. You know. The usual. I also run a lot.”

  
Piper groans. “Oh, no. I’m taking a health nut on a date!”

  
Annabeth beams. “Oh, so that’s what this is, then? A date?”

  
“Yep. Sorry, Annabeth. No takebacks.”

  
“Spilling coffee on me is a pretty crappy date idea.”

  
“Well, then, you’ll just have to take me out for a better one next time, huh?” Piper regrets this as soon as it comes out of her mouth, but Annabeth only looks happier.

  
“I’d love too.”

  
Three hours later, and Piper is sure the Starbucks employees hate them. They finished their lattes ages ago, but they just can’t seem to stop talking. Piper’s never met someone she gets along with this well before. Everything Annabeth likes, she likes. Everything Annabeth hates, she hates. They have the same political views, the same tastes in indie dramas, in music. If that whole ‘laughing for a minute extends your life by a year’ thing was true, Piper probably extended hers by a whole year.

  
All too soon, Annabeth’s phone buzzes. “Oh, shit, that’s Matthew.” Annabeth says. “I forgot I was supposed to call him. Something about buying a gift for our dad.” Annabeth heads outside and takes the call. When she comes back, she’s apologetic. “I kinda need to get moving. I promised Matt I would buy something and ship it to Virginia by tonight. I don’t even know what I’m getting him yet.”

  
Piper stands next to her, grasping at straws. “I could come with you. I’m not bad a picking out presents.”

“I wish you could, but I really need to get moving. I’ve got to go home and get my wallet first. I didn’t bring enough cash for shopping.”

  
Piper understands that they’re not at the visiting apartment stage yet, so she lets it drop. “No problem. Well, you’ve got my number, so text me if you need advice, okay?”

  
Annabeth smiles again. “Sure.” She starts to take off Piper’s jacket, and Piper remembers the shirt, mortified.

  
“I’m so sorry! I promised I’d buy you a shirt.”

  
“It’s fine. This is an old t-shirt, anyway.”

  
Piper reaches over and zips the jacket back up. “Listen, keep it. You can give it to me the next time you see me.”

  
Annabeth’s gray eyes sparkle. “And when will that be?”

  
“Are you free tonight?”

  
“That soon? You’re not sick of me yet?” Annabeth laughs.

  
“Of course not. But, honestly, I know this is moving fast but it would mean a lot to me if you went to my sister’s concert tonight. It’s downtown, and it’ll be really fun! I just don’t want to go alone. She gave me two tickets, one for me and one for Leo, but he flaked. He has to work late tonight.”

  
“Drew’s concert?”

  
“Yeah.” Piper heart beats faster. It’s so sweet that Annabeth already knows her family’s names. “You don’t even have to talk to me if you don’t want to.”

  
“I’d love to go.”

  
“Great! It’s kinda fancy, hope that’s okay. It’s at seven. I’ll text you the address, yeah?”

  
“Sounds great.”

  
And Annabeth, daring, too pretty for her own good Annabeth, leans over and kisses Piper’s cheek. She leaves, the bell on the door ringing behind her. Piper touches her check with her hand, blushing. Annabeth smelled like coffee, and, at the moment, Piper can’t think of a nicer smell.

  
-

  
Annabeth’s heart is light as she walks, trying to find a good place to teleport home. She can’t keep thinking of Piper’s adorable dimples when she smiles, of the way her nails felt when she grabbed Annabeth’s hand, of her dark blush whenever Annabeth made a particularly flirty comment – oh. This would do.

  
Annabeth cuts in between two buildings, the space barely wider than her shoulders, and she turns, thinking of her apartment.

  
The first thing she hears when she appears in her living from is a yelp of surprise and something falling. Annabeth sighs, and picks up the jar of half-eaten peanut butter at her feet. “Seriously?”

  
She looks into the kitchen, and a head of very curly hair dips down behind the tiny breakfast bar in embarrassment. Annabeth glares at it until in pops back up. “Next time warn me when you’re going to do that!” Grover says, spoon still clutched in one hand.

  
“All right, next time, I’ll teleport to warn you that I’m coming and then teleport back to actually do it.”

  
“That would be ideal,” Grover sniffs. Annabeth hands back the jar with a grin.

  
The door to her bathroom bangs open, and another one of her friends comes out, sporting freshly dyed hair and a towel wrapped around her chest.

  
“I thought I heard voices. Thought it was just Grover talking to himself, though.”

  
“Hey!” Grover pouts.

  
Thalia grins, and sticks a finger into the peanut butter.

  
“You guys know you have your own places, right?” Annabeth grabs a clean spoon and starts to dig in as well.

  
“Yeah, but you and I both know that the water pressure at our shower is like, the shittiest thing in the world.” Thalia brings her finger to her mouth.

  
That was true. Annabeth has spent many nights crashing at Grover and Thalia’s shared apartment, only to wake up to the worst shower she’s ever taken. “Get it fixed, then.”

  
“We’re broke, Anns, you know that.”

  
“Whatever.”

  
Annabeth opens her mouth again, because she cannot keep Piper a secret any longer, but she’s interrupted by another yell coming from her cramped office.

  
Annabeth groans. “You’re all here?”

  
“This is what you get for giving us a spare key,” Grover reasons.

  
“Percy, what have you got? Anything?” Thalia yells over her shoulder.

  
Finally, Percy Jackson comes running in, Annabeth’s laptop in his hands. “I got it! Four tickets to tonight’s production of “Othello”, bought at fifty percent off through ‘day of’ purchase by yours truly.”

  
Percy bows, and everyone claps. He puts the laptop down and winks at Annabeth. “Good morning, sunshine," he teases. How was your run?”

  
Oh. Her run. Annabeth’s stomach drops and she stops smiling, remembering her encounter with Reyna.

  
Percy notices Annabeth’s mood change instantly. “Woah, hey. Are you okay? Did something happen?”

  
Three pairs of eyes study Annabeth, and she starts to tear up a bit. It’s been a long morning.

  
“Holy shit.” Thalia stands up and wraps her arms around Annabeth, and Grover reaches over for her hand. Percy straightens his shoulders, looking murderous.

  
“What happened?” he asks, and Thalia starts rubbing Annabeth’s back.

  
Annabeth reaches for the drawstring bag she had taken with her, and pulls out the folder. She hands it over to Percy. Grover lets go of her hand and joins him as he opens it, reading over his shoulder.

  
There’s a good ten minutes of silence as Percy and Grover read. They stand on the other side of the breakfast bar as Thalia and Annabeth watch with bated breath. Finally, Percy closes the folder.

  
“Annabeth, what the fuck was that?” Grover says, voice small.

  
Immediately, Thalia grabs for the folder.

  
“You can’t do that. They can’t make you do that.” Percy moves and takes Thalia’s place.

  
“Actually, they can.” Grover’s voice is still quiet. “It’s required by law. They’ll toss her in jail and label her as dangerous if she doesn’t join them. It said so.”

  
“But, Annabeth can’t – I mean. If they put her jail, she can just leave, can’t she?” Percy starts worrying his lip. Annabeth leans into him and closes her eyes, grateful that her friends have always known about her power and want to protect her.

  
“They’ll find her in other ways, or figure out how to keep her in one place. I don’t know, man. I don’t think she has a choice.”

  
They wait until Thalia finishes reading. She’s always been the most vocal and impulsive. She’d know what to do. Instead she puts down the folder and looks at Annabeth. “What do you want to do?”

  
“What?” Annabeth opens her eyes, wishing that they would just leave her alone.

  
“I mean, do you want this? Do you want to do this?”

  
“No, of course she doesn’t.” Percy glares at Thalia, grip on Annabeth tightening.

  
“I’m not asking you, fish breath. I’m asking Annabeth.” Percy ignores the old nickname.

  
Thalia stares at Annabeth, and Annabeth squirms under her stare. “I mean, maybe. I don’t know. I think so?”

  
“Then you should. There are a lot of benefits. They do pay you, and even though it’s not an insane amount, it’s pretty generous. More than I thought they would. I mean, I didn’t think superheroes got paid at all, to be honest. Health insurance, dental insurance, and you’re not always working. It’s a pretty easy schedule.”

  
“You’re making this sound like a normal job,” Percy hisses. Thalia ignores him.

  
“And they’re right. Nobody has ever like, died. So that’s a plus.” Thalia turns to Annabeth again. “What are you thinking about?”

  
Annabeth feels the suit and helmet sitting heavy in her pockets. “It’s not like I have a choice.”

  
“Well, no, not really, but we could still fuck shit up and get really angry about it.”

  
“I want to.” She’s surprised at how confidently she says this. When Percy opens his mouth to protest, Annabeth keeps going. “I mean, it’s something that I’ve always wanted as a kid. They’re kind of my icons. Not having to hide their powers, using them for good. I’m really excited about it. I mean, I get to save people. That’s really badass.”

  
“Yeah, that’s really fucking cool.” Thalia grins at her. “Our little baby girl, all grown up and fighting bad guys.”

  
Annabeth laughs, and Thalia beams. Grover starts to smile as well. Percy still frowns at them. “I have the suit,” Annabeth tells him. “Wanna see it?”

  
“Girl, you didn’t tell us you had it already! Put that shit on!” Thalia shrieks, and Grover nods vigorously beside her. Annabeth takes it out and put it on, the fabric now familiar on her skin. She puts the helmet on a does a twirl. Grover and Thalia clap, and finally, Percy cracks a smile.

  
“Alright, that is really cool,” he agrees. “Still not looking forward to getting registered, though.”

  
Annabeth stops spinning. “What?”

  
“Annabeth, did you even read the document? Anybody who knows about your powers or superhero status has to like, go down there and sign a contract. The three of us were listed. We need to go down and get registered.”

  
Oh. “Good, then I could show you the stupid bakery –“

  
“Bakery? Nobody said anything about a bakery.”

  
“Nevermind, I’ll explain later.”

  
“So, this Reyna girl, is she hot?” Thalia asks. Both Grover and Percy elbow her. “Ow!”

  
Annabeth takes the suit off, laughing as everyone gasps when she compacts the helmet.

  
“That’s so cool. It all looks so official.” Grover’s eyes are still wide.

  
“We should go and celebrate!” Thalia says, keen on finding a reason party.

  
“Uh, yeah, we will go and celebrate.” Percy points to laptop. “We’re going to see “Othello” tonight, remember? We’re trying to find the hot actor from “Hamlet” again.”

  
“Ugh. I’m not a nerd like you three; I don’t want to do this.”

  
“Actually, I can’t go. I’m busy tonight.” Annabeth grins. Now this was news she actually wanted to tell them.

  
“No way, Annabeth. If I have to go to this so do you.”

  
“Yeah, binge-watching doesn’t count as plans,” Grover quips. Annabeth playfully tries to punch him, but he ducks, laughing.

  
“Actually, I’ve got a date.”

  
The effect is instantaneous. All three of her friends shriek and they start peppering her with questions.

  
“Who?”

  
“Where are you going?”

  
“Where did you meet?”

  
“Who?”

  
“Are they cute?”

  
“Do you have pictures?”

  
“WHO?”

  
“What time?”

  
Annabeth holds up a hand to silence them. “Her name is Piper. We met when she crashed into me on the way home. She spilled my coffee all over me and offered to buy me a new one. This is her jacket. (“Atta girl!” Thalia yells.) We sat in a Starbucks for over three hours. I’m going to meet her at seven tonight. We’re going to her sister’s opera concert downtown. It’s pretty fancy and she had an extra ticket. And no, Grover,” Annabeth continues, as he opens his mouth, “I do not have pictures. That’s weird. I just met her.”

  
“Group hug!” Thalia yells, and maybe it’s because they needed something lighter to talk about after the last topic, or maybe it was because Annabeth really hadn’t had a date in two months, but whatever it was, everybody listens to her. Thalia reaches Annabeth first, and when Percy and Grover join in, they jump too quickly and all four of them end up falling to the ground, laughing.

  
“Thalia, gross, get off me. You’re not wearing any clothes,” Annabeth says, trying to look serious and failing.

  
“Yeah well, we’ve been in weirder situations,” Percy grins back.

  
“Oh my God, we have to find you something to wear!” Thalia’s eyes are bright as she detangles herself. “What about that that cute blue pantsuit you wear to work sometimes? Or the red skirt! No, wait, that’s too sexy and not formal enough.”

  
“Or that long black dress with the slit up on side,” Grover says matter-of-factly.

  
“Or that! Grover, that’s perfect, I could kiss you!”

  
“Please don’t.”

  
Everyone laughs again, and Thalia hauls Annabeth up to her feet. “Come on. Let’s dazzle you up.”

  
As they run to Annabeth’s bedroom, Percy calls out behind them “and get some clothes for yourself as well, Thal!”

  
Five hours later, Annabeth pulls up to the concert in a long black dress, beaming when she sees Piper waving at her. They hug, and already, it feels familiar. They wrap their arms around each other’s backs and head inside.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm kind of picturing Power Ranger suits here, not gonna lie. Like, the shape. Granted, I've never seen anything Power Rangers related. 
> 
> ALSO the title is from Bowie's 'Heroes'. Very subject to change.
> 
> No, this work is not finished, nor is it abandoned! Updates should be frequent, since I'm only editing at this point. Feel free to nag if I haven't posted in a while. Comments and kudos are greatly appreciated - they help me out a lot. <3


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